Loving Impossible
by The Silver Lights
Summary: "I've always wanted a family, and now I have one. But this isn't what I wanted. I can't have a family without him. He was all I ever had, and now he's gone." Christa was just a normal girl that's all she ever wanted to be. But one night, her greatest nightmares are coming true as she discovers the Greek world. And what about the secret she's hiding from everyone- even herself?
1. Chapter 1

A/N Hey! This is my rewrite of Stumbling into the Greek World! Hope you like it!

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**Nico's POV**

I noticed that the city was surprisingly quiet as I walked down the street. Although the buildings were still light up and all the bright lights almost made it look like daytime, New York seemed empty. Hardly anyone was out and only a few cars had passed me the whole time I had been walking. I found this very strange, but I didn't give it much thought.

A few hours ago Percy had accidentally flooded the dining pavilion and I'd decided I needed a little time away from camp, so I shadow traveled to the first place I'd thought of. I guess I just couldn't get the city out of my mind. I couldn't help but smile a little at a passing taxi with yet another Twilight advertisement. "There's a new world out there, just waiting to be discovered," it said.

_If they only knew_, I thought, chuckling to myself.

All of a sudden I got the feeling I was being watched. I did a quick 180, my eyes scanning over every inch, every corner that I could see. I stayed calm and headed toward one of the alleys, where I would be out of sight. Sticking to the shadows, I walked as silently as possible, listening for anything threatening. A trash can fell over and I jumped, a small gasp escaping my mouth. When I saw it was only an alley cat, I couldn't help but laugh at myself.

I relaxed a bit and continued walking, although I still stayed close to the darkness, in case I needed a quick escape.

Almost as soon as I began walking, I heard a soft chattering behind me. I turned around and came face to face with one of my father's skeleton soldiers.

"Hey," I said. "How'd you get up here?" I gestured toward it and commanded it to go back to the underworld, but he just stood there, staring at me with his glowing eyes. "Huh?" I said, confused. After all, the skeletons are warriors for my father, and they are supposed to follow my command.

"Go," I demanded. "I do not need you now."

The soldier stepped forward, causing me to step back, and as I did so, I backed into something. Turning my head, I saw there were three more skeletons behind me. I told them a few more times to leave me alone, but they wouldn't listen.

"Why won't you obey me?" I asked them, almost expecting them to answer me. The only reply I got were two more dead warriors coming into the alley, soon followed by another four. They walked towards be, backing me into the wall.

"What's going on? Why won't you listen?" This had never happened to me before, and I began to panic.

I unsheathed my Stygian iron sword and prepared to fight.

**Christa's POV**

I ran. I had no idea where I was going or what I was going to do when I got there, but I couldn't stop running. If I stopped, they might find me. If I stopped, they would hurt me too. My lungs were aching for air and my feet were killing me, but I didn't care. I just had to get away. I was terrified, and I couldn't get the images out of my mind. Maybe if I ran, they would disappear. Maybe if I ran, everything would be okay.

Eventually, I couldn't run any longer. My sprint slowed to a jog, which soon became a slow, steady pace. After a while, I just stopped moving all together. The reality of what had just happened came crashing down on me all at once. My knees gave way and I fell to the ground. I wrapped my arms around my legs and let my tears fall.

_No,_ I thought. _No, that didn't just happen._ Unable to accept it, I kept repeating that over and over in my head. _No. No! That didn't just happen! It didn't!_

My body shook violently as I sobbed. His yells echoed in my mind, and I could almost feel his pain shoot through my body. My mind started to go numb and I felt like I had entered a dream world. Everything around me just seemed so unreal, like I wasn't part of what was going on. I saw the city around me, the darkness of the alley I had hidden in, and the lights of the buildings, but I felt like I wasn't really there, like I was watching the scene from the outside.

Feeling heavyhearted and numb, I stood up and looked around me. No one was in sight, not even a car. I was confused. After all, they didn't call New York the City That Never Sleeps for nothing.

All of a sudden, I heard a yell. I wasn't thinking clearly and so I did what any person who's out of their mind would do; I went toward the scream. At first, I just walked quickly, then jogged, and finally I was sprinting. After running for so long, my legs were cold and my feet were very sore, but I felt like I needed to find the person in danger, like I needed to help him. It seemed like a brilliant idea at the time, but looking back on my decision, I don't understand what made me try to help. It seems crazy, but I had to try and save him, I just _had _to.

I didn't even know where I was going, but I ran a few blocks and I found myself in an especially dark alley. There, in front of me was a boy about my age with a torn t-shirt underneath a leather jacket, black jeans, dark, messy black hair, and pale skin. He was on his knees and his head hung down. I knew I should turn around, run away, and forget what I saw. Because I had never seen anything like it: about ten men wearing camouflage were standing before the boy. Well, I can't really call them men because... they weren't. They looked like relatively human, but they were these weird transparent….. _things. _You could see the creatures' bones and everything! I guess you could call them skeletons because that's what they looked like, but these creatures looked so different than the skeletons in the movies. For one thing, they were wearing camouflage clothing and had glowing yellow eyes. The looks of them made me shutter and step back.

The skeletons started walking forward. The boy raised a sword, (yes; a _sword_) and muttered something under his breath. Apparently, whatever he was doing hadn't worked because he cursed under his breath and swung his sword at the creatures. As soon as his blade made contact with the bone, it caught fire and began to crumble into ashes.

I heard chattering sounds behind me and I turned around, seeing ten of the things were behind me. One of them reached out and grabbed my arm and I kicked it in the gut. At first, I thought I had hurt it, but it straightened right back up as if I hadn't touched it at all. I screamed as three more came and drew swords and took out guns. Out of the corner of my eye, I say the boy glance over at me and then turn back to kill another skeleton.

I was backed into the wall and I began to panic. My heart beat wildly, and I realized that trying to help had been the dumbest idea I had ever had. I sank to the ground and my arms flew over my head, providing me with a sort of shield. I prepared myself for the pain, but it never came. Bright colors danced across my eyelids and I felt heat on my skin. I parted my arms and peeked up. Standing above me was the boy, and it was the most amazing thing I had ever seen.

"My God.. Oh my! Oh my God!" I jumped up and threw my arms around his neck. Almost immediately, he pulled away and looked at me strangely.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

My eyes strayed to his muscular arms and I gasped.

"Your... your arm..."

He glanced down and shook his head. "Just a cut. Don't avoid the question. Who are you? What did you see?"

"What did I see? I saw..." I made wild gestures in the air that probably made me look retarded. "that! T-the things. They were attacking you and... Thank you."

"Huh?"

"Thank you. They would have probably killed me. You saved my life."

He scoffed and glanced toward the street, as if he had heard something. When he turned back to me, he looked into my eyes and made an odd motion with his hand. "You didn't see anything." He said.

"What? What are you doing?"

He stepped closer. "I'm Nico, your friend. You were just on your way home when you saw me and stopped to say hi."

"Are you... trying to hypnotize me?"

The boy, Nico, looked at me strangely and swore under his breath. "What's going on?" He whispered to himself.

I shook my head. "Look," I said, placing my arm on his shoulder. "I want to repay you somehow. I have no idea how to make up for what you did, but I'll try. Whatever you want, just say the word and I'll get it."

"What I want," He picked up my arm and put it down at my side, but didn't take his hand off my wrist. "is for you to leave and forget what you saw."

"What?" I asked. "But... I definitely can't forget that."

"Try. After all," he added, turning away. "you _did_ say you would do anything."

He began to walk away and I rushed to catch up with him.

"Hey, where do you think you're going!?"

"Back home."

I nodded, trying to keep up with him. "Well, I'm on my way home too. Do you think we could walk together?"

"No." Huh, what a gentleman.

"B-but." I searched for an answer but I decided to just tell him the truth. "Look, some really weird stuff has been happening and I really think it would be good for me to walk home with you."

"No." He repeated.

"But those things could come back! There could be more of them, and I need protection! I don't have a... a sword like you do."

"Without me around, you won't need one. You'll be fine. I promise."

"Nuhhuh!" I argued, taking a leap over the curb. "Look," I said desperately. "You don't understand. I need you to help me. Something has happened... It's all my fault.. I-I... I don't know what's happening. Please. I just..." I felt tears fill my eyes and a lump began to form in my throat. "_Please._"

He groaned and I could tell he was annoyed with me. "I understand that you're afraid, but the best way to stay safe is to stay away from me."

"You don't _get_ it-"

He halted immediately and spun around to face me. "Kid, stop following me, alright! I don't want to be responsible for a dead girl!"

"But if you leave me all alone in the middle of the city, you _will_ be responsible for my death! And I am _not_ a kid. I'm almost thirteen! Probably the same age as you."

He shot me a glare. "Can't you take a hint!? I don't want you with me." He spoke through gritted teeth. "You were in danger. I helped you. The end! I don't want to have anything to do with you! Just leave me alone!"

It started to sprinkle and Nico pulled up the collar of his leather jacket. "Just leave me alone." He repeated.

I didn't try to follow him. After all, he didn't want me to. I think he made that pretty clear. I just watched him as he walked away. Soon, the light drizzle turned into a downpour and I had to get to shelter from the icy rain. My body began to feel numb as I stood there, but I don't think it was from the cold. My heart felt like it weighed a few hundred pounds and it ached in my chest. Now that I was alone, the world felt dark and cruel. Images of what had happened just an hour ago flashed in my mind. I choked back a sob as I took a shaky step forward. My knees immediately failed me and I fell to the ground, my arms wrapped around my shaking body as I wailed and cried. I sat there for what felt like hours, but what probably only a few minutes. Between my sobbing I began to hear noises. I felt like my heart stopped as my mind finally registered the sounds as quiet, but rough growling behind me. I turned, but couldn't see anything clearly between my tears. Terror seized me and my tears stopped as I sat there numb. I looked past the other side of the street and thought I saw a large shadow moving out between two buildings.

I only had time to scream before it attacked.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N So... "Loving Impossible" what do you think? Sorry, I couldn't come up with a very good title :/ I'm still open to title suggestions, so if you don't like the title and ever come up with a better one just tell me! By the way, this story begins right after the Second Olympian war ends. It is the beginning of October. Percy disappears in December, so he is still at camp. Nico is about 13 I think.

Reviews:

**thein273: Yay! Thank you! I'm really exited you like it. I'm sorry I didn't update quickly like you wanted me to. Don't worry. I'm gonna be a lot more dedicated ti my writing now.**

**raisa864: I'm really glad that you think my writing has improved. I'm definitely putting way more effort into this story than my last one. Please, if there is any suggestions you could make to make my writing better, I would love to hear it!**

**Guest: As I said in the last comment, I'm soooo happy that you guys think I am improving. I think I've definitely grown in my writing in the past year or two, and I'm trying a lot more on this one. It's great that you like it! I didn't think people would be so enthusiastic about this story!**

**i dream of faraway places: Thank you! It really means a lot to me!**

**arabella: Sorry the update took sooooo long! :( Don't worry I will work hard to update my stories quicker from now on! I promise! I'm really happy you like it!**

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**Nico's POV**

I admit it; I felt bad about yelling at the girl, but it was for her own good. I needed to keep her away from me to keep her safe. If any monsters were to catch my scent, she would have gotten hurt.

But even though I kept telling myself that I was keeping her safe, I couldn't help but feel like I made the wrong choice by leaving her. She might have been right; maybe she _did _need me to stay with her. I mean, she was a young, innocent girl all alone in the middle of a dangerous city. Something could happen to her. She could get kidnapped or raped because I left her. As a demigod, I felt like it was my responsibility to keep mortals safe, even if no one had ever told me to. I was sure Annabeth and the other half-bloods felt the same. We were all stronger and more skillful than any average mortal. We knew about the dangerous monsters and creatures in the world, and we could never bear letting anyone get hurt by something that they couldn't even see. Usually none of us ever really worried much about the mortals being attacked because monsters never really paid them much attention, but recently the Greek world and creatures had been acting weird. Lately they had been much more difficult to kill. It seemed that ever since the Second Olympian war ended, the monsters had grown stronger and more powerful. It was starting to frighten me a bit, but I would never dare admit it.

My thoughts drifted back to the girl. Who was she? How could she have possibly seen the undead soldiers? Maybe she was like Rachel Elizabeth Dare, who could see through the mist. I doubted it though; Rachel was a special mortal. She was chosen to see through the mist because she was destined to be the new oracle. This girl certainly didn't seem like anyone special. To me she just looked like a regular mortal, definitely not a demigod.

Then another thought entered my mind: Why was she alone in the middle of the city at night? I remember her nose was red and her eyes were kind of puffy, as if she had been crying. I suddenly realized that her jeans had been torn at the bottom, like something had been clawing at her as she ran away. I started to worry. Had one of the skeletons torn her clothes, or had it been something else? What if something more dangerous had been after her before she found me? With her tattered jeans and the terrified expression she had looked at me with, it seemed very likely that she had been attacked earlier in the night. But what would have attacked a mortal?

I began to feel guilty and I kept telling myself to go back. What harm could it do to just walk her home? I could protect myself from the monsters, so why not protect that girl, too?

Finally, after much debating with myself, I decided to turn back. I couldn't help glancing over my shoulder every time I turned a corner; that attack had made my guard go up.

As I walked, I thought about what had happened with my father's undead soldiers, and my mind began to fill with questions.

Why didn't they listen to my commands? They have to follow my order, since I am Hades' son. Why did they even attack me in the first place? For a moment I considered the possibility that the attack could have been a prank by Clarisse, but I quickly pushed that thought out of my head. Sure, the Ares kids are cruel and hate me, but I don't think they would go that far. Besides, if the undead hadn't even listened to my commands, how could Clarisse ever control them?

Suddenly a scream filled the air and I forgot about my confusion and questions. I had a horrible feeling that the scream belonged to the girl I had left in the street. I ran toward the sound, praying to the gods that I was wrong.

A minute or two went by, and I stopped in the middle of an intersection. I turned in all directions, trying to hear something to give me a lead. I felt desperate. I had no idea where to go, and there was a sinking feeling in my stomach telling me that I had lost the chance to save the girl.

No, I shook my head and moved my feet in what I thought was the direction of where I left the girl. I _had _to find her. I would never forgive myself if she died.

I would find her. I _had_ to.

My feet splashed in the puddles as I ran and my jeans were half soaked by now. The freezing rain tugged at my clothes and blurred my vision, but I kept running.

Taking as big a breath as I could, I opened my mouth and screamed, "Where are you?!"

At first I got no response. My heart sunk even though I hadn't really been expecting an answer anyway. But then after a few seconds, I heard it; those three words that gave me new energy. It felt like I had been struck by lighting as I surged forward, sprinting left of where I had been headed. I wasn't even sure if I had really heard her or if it was just my imagination, but it was the only thing I had.

Those three desperate cries, "Nico! Help me!"

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**Christa POV**

Claws ripped into my back and threw me to the side of the street. I yelled out in agony as I hit the hard pavement. I pulled myself into a sitting position as the rain continued to pour around me. I should have gotten up and ran, but I couldn't. Instead, I froze and stared up at the beast. It looked a bit like how I have always imagined Bigfoot to be. The creature stood at about 10 feet tall on its hind legs with fur covering all of it except for its stomach. It had a muscular body and strong, metallic claws coming from its hands. Curved black spikes were attached to the elbows and moved inward with the shape of the arm. The beast was frothing at the mouth, and sharp yellow fangs peaked out from the foam. The eyes were completely black except for the very middle of the eye, which was white. Long stringy black hair flowed from the sides of the monster's head and underneath the hair were two torn pointy ears. It was the same beast that had attacked me earlier in the night. A lump grew in my throat As the beast advanced on me, I noticed something dark and sticky was tangled in its fur and claws. My heart skipped a beat when I realized with an aching fear what it was.

Blood.

My body felt numb, but inside I was hit with new emotions. I became less scared- although the fear was definitely still there- and more angry. My head pounded as I stood up, but I pushed it to the back of my mind. I made up my mind right then and there; this creature would not kill me. I refused to let it kill me like it had killed _him._ For a second I thought about trying to attack the monster, but I knew that would be stupid. I knew it was impossible to defeat it- I didn't even have any sort of weapon with me- but maybe it wasn't impossible to outrun it.

With my heart beating wildly in my chest, and the aching coming back to my legs, I turned and ran. I could hear the thing clumsily following me. My feet screamed in protest as I made myself run faster than I ever have before. I turned corner after corner in attempt to lose the monster following me. My whole body was aching and my vision was blurred. It was like I wasn't even there, more like I was in some kind of trance or nightmare that I couldn't escape. Suddenly, I couldn't take it anymore. My knees gave out on me and I fell to the pavement, scraping my hands in the process. The warm blood on my palms felt odd after being in the icy rain for so long. I heard the beast's growling and barks grow closer and I closed my eyes in despair.

Just as I was about to give up and let myself lay there, I heard a voice calling out to me.

"Where are you?!" It cried.

My eyes shot open. The voice seemed familiar, but odd at the same time. I tried as hard as I could to remember the voice. Then it hit me.

_Nico._

Had it really been the boy's voice or was I just imagining it? Should I call out to him? If I really was just imagining it and call out for someone, then the beast will easily be able to find me and I would be dead for sure. I hesitated for a moment or two before deciding that it couldn't hurt; I was going to die anyway.

Sobbing, I called out as loud as I could, "Nico! Help me!" _Please,_ I added silently.

The monster was getting closer and I struggled desperately to get up, my body shaking as I leaned against the wall of the alley.

"Please," I cried into the dark. "Someone, _please_!"

Then I fell again, but this time I didn't hit the ground. Instead, I was being held in someone's arms. The last thing I remember is being lifted up- the person above me grunting slightly- and being pulled into the inviting darkness.

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A/N Okay, so I've decided to be completely dedicated to my writing. From now on, I will be updating this story EVERY Tuesday night! Yaaayyyy! Okay, see you guys next Tuesday!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N Hey guys! I'm back! Yes don't worry, I am keeping my promise of updating ever Tuesday. I _do _have soccer practice and guitar/bass guitar practice on Tuesdays, so the updates will probably come at about 8 PM (North American Eastern Time Zone). Thanks for being patient!

Reviews:

**Poseidon'sDaughter-Percy'sSis: Hey! I'm sooo sorry I forgot to reply to your comment last chapter! I don't even know how I missed it! Anyway, thank you for reviewing! It means a lot to me. And I intend to keep this story up, even if I've stopped writing a lot of my other stories.**

**i dream of faraway places: I know! Tuesdays must seem far away for you, but for me it's probably going to be a little tough to meet. I'll try, though! And if I finish a chapter earlier than expected, then I'll post it a little before a Tuesday and it'll be like a gift from me to you :) I'm glad you liked the chapter! I was struggling a bit with deciding when to end it because I felt like it just wasn't long enough. Oh well, I guess it was fine :P I'll try to make the next few chapters longer to make up for it, though. I'm relieved you thought the fainting was appropriate; in a lot of the stories I read, some people just faint kind of randomly with nothing severe enough to cause it. I was debating whether or not to have her faint, but I decided that there was enough going on in the story to cause her to pass out, so I went ahead and did it. At first, I only meant the "being pulled into the inviting darkness" thing to be her fainting, but then I realized that it could also be Nico shadow traveling to get her to safety.**

Wooo-how-ow. That was long reply. Ah well.

**To anyone and everyone who reviewed, favorited/followed, or even read this story, thank you! It means a lot to me.**

:-*

Oooh... and I have just realized... I've forgotten to put a disclaimer on my stories... Eeeek... Well, here it is:

Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson Series in any way, shape, or form. Although I _do _own Christa Jones (I decided to change her last name) and a few future characters.

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**Nico's POV**

My legs shook as I stepped out of the shadows with the girl in my arms. Looking around, I tried to figure out where I was. Trees of all kinds surrounded us and the ground was incredibly green for as far as I could see. The sun shone down on us between the branches and leaves and my eyes strained to adjust to the bright light after being in pure darkness. I was confused; I had absolutely no clue where I had taken us. When I shadow travel, I have to imagine the place where I want to go, but I don't remember thinking about any certain place. All I remember is running into the darkness with only one thought in my mind: _Safety._ I took another look around before deciding that it seemed like a safe enough place to rest.

Not knowing what to do, I walked a few steps before setting the girl down in the shade under the spread out branches of a large oak tree. I ran my fingers through my dark hair as I slid to the ground beside her. Sighing, I closed my eyes and remembered running into the dark alley and finding the girl struggling to stand on her feet. Her hands had left faint streaks of blood on the bricks as she tried to find some sort of support from the wall. I know I had heard her call something out, but I don't remember what it was. All I know is that I ran to her as fast as I could. I had hardly had time to throw my arms under her when she lost hold of the wall and fell again. I chuckled a bit, remembering how surprisingly heavy she had felt in my arms, despite her being quite thin.

I opened my eyes and found myself staring down at my hands. My nose scrunched up in disgust when I realized both my jacket and my shirt were wet with blood.

"_My favorite jacket!_" I muttered, feeling my face heating up. I begin to grow angry, until I reminded myself that I had gotten the stains by saving the girl's life. My jacket could always be washed, but the girl's death would have been permanent.

I turned my head to the girl and took in her appearance for the first time. Her wavy, chocolate brown hair was tangled and grew down to her elbows. I saw that her side bangs were covering her face, and once I brushed the hair away, I noticed that she had a few tiny freckles dusted across her nose and a couple reached under her eyes. Somehow she looked young but mature at the same time. Her dark blue jeans were torn and her blue hoodie was ripped in the back and wet with a mixture of blood and rain.

After hesitating for a moment, I gently moved the girl until she was laying on her side and peered at the wound on her back. As soon as I saw the long gashes in her skin, I wished I hadn't. It looked awful. Blood flowed heavily from her back and pus was ozing around the edges. At one part, the gash was so deep that I thought I could see a hint of bone peaking out. I quickly moved the girl's body onto her back again as I turned away from her. I sighed desperately as I hurried to get up. If I had know she was hurt that badly, I wouldn't have stopped to rest. She needed help, and fast. I leaned down and tried to slide my arms under the girl without making contact with the wound. I grimaced when my arm moved too close to it and I felt the thick blood quickly cover the palm of my hand.

_Where are we going to go?_ I asked myself. Obviously she needed medical attention quickly, but I didn't think I could take her to a hospital; how would I explain what happened to the doctors? I was horrible at making up stories on the spot, and I'm sure they would be suspicious of a young boy walking into a hospital with a torn up girl in his hands.

I knew I should take her back to camp, but Chiron didn't know I left. According to camp rules, we aren't allowed to leave without permission from him or Mr. D. I would probably get into big trouble when I got back.

I quickly pushed that thought out of my mind. _Stop being selfish, Nico. That's ridiculous!_ Of course I had to take her to camp! I needed to help her. I can't believe I was worrying about getting in trouble with Chiron when someone was nearly dying in my hands. I shook my head and wrapped my arms around the girl tightly, doing my best to ignore the warm blood that seeped through the material of my shirt.

Using as much energy as I could muster, I stepped into the shadows and prayed to the gods that Camp Half-Blood wasn't far.

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**Christa's POV**

My mind felt numb. My whole body ached and my back was on fire with pain. I faded in and out of consciousness, but even when I was slightly awake it was like I wasn't really there. I could hardly even hear anything at all, and the few time I opened my eyes the world was just a blur.

The first time I woke up, there was complete darkness, before a dim light appeared out of nowhere. I could feel a pair of shaky arms holding me from the ground. I couldn't concentrate on anything, and I'd hardly registered anything going on around me. I heard a gasping from someone right above me, as if they were out of breath. A few panicked voices were talking. I didn't catch much of what they were saying.

"_Chiron!... téras... bleeding... I tried..."_

There was a man's voice, too, I think. The sound of the man talking made me feel calm. His voice was smooth, and assuring. I felt myself being lifted into another set of arms. I don't really remember anything after that- I think I saw a figure with golden blonde hair. But I do remember the dreams, the _nightmares_. They were all so different, but at the same time they were the same. They were all about him...

_"Chrissssssta..."_

_I rounded the corner, trying get away from the voice._

_"Chrissss!"_

_Tears leaked from my eyes and blurred my vision, still I kept running._

_"Christa!"_

_I was desperate now. The voice, the memories, were tearing me apart._

_"Chris!"_

_I couldn't run any further. I dropped to my knees, sobbing. The air went cold and I was chilled to the bone._

_"You... Your fault..."_

No!_ I wanted to yell. _No! It wasn't my fault! _But I knew, deep inside, that he was right._

_I curled up and wrapped my arms around myself. I sat there sobbing as the darkness completely engulfed me. My cries echoed, bouncing off the walls and coming back to attack me._

_Suddenly, I was no longer in the cold darkness. Instead, I was surrounded by tall grass that reached up and tickled my nose. The morning sun shone down peacefully on me. In the distance was a big red barn with cattle grazing around it. I looked down and found myself in a small, childish body. I was a little girl again, no older than six._

_"Chris!" a small voice yelled._

_I looked for the source of the voice, but all I could see was the sea of green surrounding me._

_"Christa!" the voice called again._

_The voice sounded close, but I still couldn't find who was calling me._

_"Christa!"_

_Before I knew what had happened, I was knocked to the ground. A small form laid on top of me, laughing._

_"Zane!" I yelled as I struggled. "Get off me!"_

_He rolled onto the ground, breathless with laughter. I stood glaring down at him. Then I started to giggle, too. Soon, my giggling turned into a wholehearted laugh. I helped him up and we stood there in the grass, laughing hysterically._

_All of a sudden, he was no longer a child. He grew until he was a young boy, probably a young teenager. He smiled warmly at me, and his eyes sparkled happily._

_Then his face fell, and he stared at me in fear._

_"Christa... How could you? How could you hurt me? I thought... I thought you loved me! I loved you, but you left me!"_

_"No! I love you, I do!"_

_"You left me!"_

_"Please!" I begged. "I'm sorry! I-"_

_"_Sorry?_" He looked at me, tears filling his eyes. "You're sorry? That's all you have to say? 'Sorry'?!"_

_The boy began to fade like dust. The wind picked at him as it blew past us._

_"No!" I cried. "No! No!"_

_I tried to grab him before he could __disappear completely, but he was already gone. It was too late._

_"Zane!" I screeched. "No! Please!"_

_I ran through the grass, crying. I tripped and fell to the ground._

_"Zane!" I sobbed, dipping my head into my hands._

_When I opened my eyes again, I was no longer a child. I had grown taller, and I felt like I was once again my real age, thirteen. The long grass that had reached all the way to my face before was only tall enough to reach my fingertips. A rumbling sound erupted in my ears and I turned my face toward the sky. Large, dark clouds drifted across the sun and the air quickly grew cold. The beautiful blue sky was replaced by a nasty brown-red color. All of the cattle and even the red barn had disappeared. The tall grass was no longer tickled my hands, instead I was surrounded by rocks and sand. There wasn't another human being for as far as the eye could see- I was completely alone. The wind began to blow furiously and the sand and a few small rocks scratched at my skin as they hurried around me. Soon, I could see nothing but the dust and sand swirling around me. Voices screamed in my ears, crying random gibberish. Suddenly, something large and sharp swung across my face, ripping into my flesh. I sobbed as I fell to the ground, cowering away from my attacker. Rocks and claws tore at me, reaching for every bit of my exposed skin. I could only scream in agony as I laid there, dying._

* * *

A/N I had planned on having so much more stuff in this chapter then I do now. I was going to start at Christa's POV in this chapter, and then go all the way to where she was shown around camp, and taught about the Greek world, etc., etc. But then for some reason I began it in Nico's POV and, well... this happened, and I just decided to go with it. So basically, everything that happens in the next chapter was supposed to be in this chapter too, but I decided I wouldn't be able to finish by tomorrow. Since I didn't put all of that stuff in this chapter, I finished it a day early! Yayyy! **I dream of faraway places, this chapter is dedicated to you because you were so excited about it. I hope this new chapter didn't disappoint you! **Until next Tuesday, TA-TA!


	4. Chapter 4

[A/N Hey! Sorry I'm a bit late! Okay, a lot late. It's been over a month since I updated. Sorry! All of my notes and drafts for this chapter and the next few chapters are on my iPod, but it froze! I've tried to restart it and stuff, but nothing will work ;-; So I had to take FOREVER to rewrite this chapter. Plus, I've gotten a little addicted to tumblr (Actually a LOT addicted) and the Once Upon a Time series, so... yeah. Grrr. Ah, well. What is to be, shall be, or whatever. I'm not exactly sure where I'm going with this whole 'Zane' thing so just... bear with me, okay?

Reviews:

**i dream of faraway places**: I'm glad you liked it! The part at the end was the girl's dreams. I'm clearing that up in the beginning of this chapter. Again, I'm glad you liked it. You're sooo welcome!

**Friday101**: "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" - This was literally my reaction when I saw your review on my story. Welcome back! It's been forever since I've talked to you. I'm so glad to hear about you rewriting the Mikey Evans story! Ah, good times. I hope you haven't lost your fun craziness that you wrote with a year or two ago. It's awesome that you think I've improved! It is so good to hear that. I will DEFINITELY read the remake of your story. Good luck with it! If you need any help, you know where to find me!

I do not own PJO.

* * *

My eyes shot open and I lay where I was, cold sweat covering my body. I was breathing heavily, still shaking from the nightmares. My hands felt the surface around my body, and as I touched the soft, cushioning material, I realized I was laying in a bed. Where was I? I didn't recall going home; in fact, I couldn't really remember much of anything at all. I struggled to think of the events of last night, but to no avail. I began to panic. What happened? Where was I? Why couldn't I remember anything? No- I did remember. There was a storm... I had been in the city with... with... Zane. Zane had been with me! He would know what was going on!

I began to sit up, wincing as I did so. My back ached and it pained my chest to even breathe deeply. I could feel something wrapped tightly around me, as if it was holding me together. Slipping my fingers under the hem of my shirt, I felt a rough fabric covering my abdomen. Curious, I lifted my top halfway up my stomach and peered down at my body. Starting just over my belly button, white strips of cloth wound themselves around me before stopping right above my chest, disappearing under my arms. I hastily pulled my shirt back down to my waist. Were those bandages? But why would I need them? Was I hurt? Obviously I was, considering how painful it was to move, but how badly was I hurt? Again I asked myself, what happened?

I rubbed my eyes, straining to see clearly in the darkness. Once my eyes began to adjust, I searched the room for Zane. I figured he couldn't be far, but as I looked around, I realized that there was no one else in the room. Other than the beds and cabinets on either side of me, the room was empty. I was alone.

But where was he? Where was Zane? Did someone take him? Was he hurt, or worse, dead?

Dead.

The word echoed in my mind. Dead, dead, dead... Someone had died... Someone... No-no, no no no. I'm not sure if it was my memory coming back to me, or the wounds on my back, but all of a sudden I felt like I had been hit by a truck. My head began to ache and tears swelled up in my eyes.

The monster, the skeletons, the boy- what was his name? Nico?- everything. I remembered it all, and I could feel every ounce of anger and terror that I had experienced. My vision blurred with tears and anger. But who was the anger toward? Me? The monster? God? I couldn't tell you. All I know is that there was a burning pain inside of my chest. I opened my mouth and let out a wail. I didn't care about where I was. I didn't care if the people who had me ran in and killed me right then and there. All I cared about was him, and now he was gone. Where was he? What had they done to him? Could he really be... dead?

A bright light shone through my closed and watery eyelids. Upon opening them, I realized that there was a light moving around outside one of the room's windows, the silhouette of a person moving in front of it.

The first thing I felt was anger, and a lot of it, too. My heart pounded and I could feel the blood racing through my veins as I watched the shadow move. But the closer the silhouette came, the more my anger turned into fear. Suddenly, I felt like a coward. I didn't care who these people were or whether or not they hurt Zane; I didn't want to be hurt, too. I didn't want to die.

I heard the door knob twisting slowly, and I buried myself into the mattress. My eyes squeezed closed, and a few sobs escaped my lips. I struggled to keep my crying in, but once the first tear fell, they just kept slipping out. I could hardly hear the sound of footsteps moving toward me as I cried. I jumped when i felt a small hand brush across my back, and pulled myself even further into the sheets surrounding me. The person above me, however, placed their arm under my stomach and carefully lifted the top half of my body off the bed. Before I knew what was happening, I found myself in the person's arms.

Crying out, I thrashed in their grip. I tried twisting and turning my body, determined to get away. Every time I moved, my muscles screamed in protest, but I didn't stop fighting. I had to get away. I kept telling myself that, hoping it would give me strength. The person, who I realized was a young girl, maybe a little older than me, was much stronger than me. Even though I struggled with all the energy and strength in my body, she was able to keep me from escaping her hold. Only after I gave up fighting did I notice her peaceful voice murmuring to me.

"Shh... It's okay. I promise, you're okay. You're safe."

This only made me cry harder. How could I be safe without Zane? How could I possibly be safe when I was nearly killed last night- was it really last night? How could I be safe when I felt like I was already dead?

My cries grew louder, ringing out into the room. The girl's arms wrapped more tightly around me. Letting out a cry, I yanked my body away from her. The girl wasn't expecting any more struggling, and her arms moved away from me and towards herself in defense.  
"Where is he!?" I wailed.  
She just gave me a worried look.  
"Where is he!?" I repeated. "What did you do to him?!"  
The girl stepped forward.  
"its okay, please, lay back down. You're going to hurt yourself-"  
"Zane!"  
She moved closer to me still. Her hand reached out to touch my arm.  
"Who are you talking about?"  
"Don't touch me! Don't you dare touch me! Zane!"

No matter how much I yelled for him, he didn't come. He couldn't hear me. I was on my own.

I leaned to the side, putting my wight on the wooden wall nearest to me as I caught my breath. My eyes began to flood and my vision was blurred. The water dripping down my face was hot and angry, yet still cold with fear. Where was I? What were they going to do with me? Where was _Zane_?

Thoughts began to get jumbled in my head, all of them jumping around in front of each other and knocking against the edges of my mind. Then, suddenly, all of the thoughts just stopped. The world in front of my eyes went black as I felt a small pain in my arm.

* * *

"Why'd you call me in here, Kayla? It's five in the morning."

"The girl you brought in last night-"

"Is she okay?"

The voices were the first thing I heard when I woke up. The first obviously belonged to a boy, the second was a girl.

"She woke up in the middle of the night, and started freaking out. I tried to help but she just started yelling at me. Something about someone named Zane," the girl, who I assumed was Kayla said. She sounded familiar, and I quickly realized the voice belonged to the girl from the night before.

Groaning softy, I opened my eyes. My head bobbed from side to side as my eyes tried to find something to latch onto. I couldn't make sense of what was going on. I just laid where I was, trying to navigate through the fog in my mind.

"What happened? What made her freak out?" the boy's voice said. This boy sounded a little familiar, too, but I didn't recognize it as easily as I had the girl's. Then, suddenly, something tingled in the back of my mind and a light broke through the smoke in my head.

_Zane._

Was it Zane? It sounded kind of like him. Why did his voice sound so much deeper? Where has he been? A bubble of happiness formed in my stomach as I listened to him speak. I'd missed him. I hadn't been away from him for a long time, but I always felt like this when I woke up. We could be separated at any time, but we had survived another night. I must have been really worried about him last night.

Last night.

Bits and pieces began to come back to me. I remembered waking up and crying a lot. I was angry and scared, and Zane wasn't there. Zane wasn't there. He's still not here. I realized that the voice I was hearing was too deep to be Zane's; Zane's voice was higher and he sounded like he was laughing, even when he spoke. This voice was too calm. This wasn't Zane. Zane. Had they taken him away? Has he finally gone somewhere else, to live with a new family? No, please, no. Please let me be wrong. I moved my shoulder and gasped when I felt the pain ripple through my body. _My back_.

I remembered.

Zane _was _taken from me, but not by a family. I closed my eyes and began to listen carefully to the conversation. These people would know where he was. Maybe they would say something about him, and I could find him.

"We don't know what happened. As far as I know, she just woke up and started screaming. When I went in to check on her, she was crying," the girl's voice said.

"Crying?" the boy asked."Is that... normal for new people we bring in?"

"Normal?" the girl snorted. "If you call any of us normal. But no, most of them don't just break down for no reason."

I heard the boy sigh. "Well, she must have a reason, then. Dreams, maybe?"

"I don't think so. She got even more upset when she saw me. I think she was more afraid of me than her dreams."

"Well then, why'd you call me in here? I'm not responsible for her. I don't know how to help; you're the healer, not me." the boy said quickly.

"I thought... I thought that maybe she would talk to you. If you saved her last night, maybe she would trust you."

The boy cleared his throat.

"Plus," Kayla added. "I just thought you might be worried about her. You were the one who found her, after all. You seemed pretty scared for her when you took her to Chiron."

The boy made a sound, something halfway between a groan and a scoff. The door across from me opened, and I was afraid to open my eyes. I could feel someone moving toward me, but I could tell it was only one person; the girl must have stayed outside. The room grew a little colder as the boy's footsteps moved toward me. My eyes fluttered for a split second before I forced myself to stay still.

I heard a chuckle. "I know you're awake. You can open your eyes now."

And I did, after hesitating for a few seconds. I looked up at the boy as he pulled up a chair and sat down next to the bed I was in.

"Um... Hi," he said. "I don't know if you remember me... I'm Nico."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N Again, sorry for the wait, but my obsession with tumblr is far too unhealthy.

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series, and I'm kind of glad I don't... I mean look how long it took me to write that last chapter! The fandom would KILL me!**

* * *

I stared at Nico's awkwardly outstretched hand.

"What are you doing?"

"It's a handshake..." he said, confused.

I couldn't help it. I laughed. I'm pretty sure there was no real reason to laugh, but I did anyway. Nico slid back in the chair and eyed me carefully.

"What?" He asked.

"It's just..." I chuckled. "We met on the street after these monster things tried to kill us, you yelled at me to get away from you, I was chased down by Bigfoot's evil cousin, and now you just politely introduce yourself."

Nico didn't look like one to smile often, but I was sure I saw his mouth twitch.

"So you do remember me." It was more of a statement than a question.

My mood changed, and I glanced down and scratched at my arm.

"Yeah, I... I remember a lot of things."

He must have sensed me being upset because he moved his chair closer to my bed, not saying a word. I glanced up and got my first good look at him. Honestly, he didn't look any better than when I met him. His hair was still tangled and shaggy, as if he had just gotten out of bed after a long night of tossing and turning in his sleep. Just like last night, he was wearing dark jeans, although now he had on an orange t-shirt, which he was trying to hide with a black sweatshirt. I felt him looking at me and I furrowed my brow. I reassured myself that I was _not_ staring. I was just taking advantage of being able to see him without getting attacked by a strange creature.

Slightly embarrassed, I glanced up at him, and I found his eyes. They were brown, dark brown. I felt myself grow cold as I was pulled into them. They held a frightening wild look, as if a madman was trapped behind them. A furious shiver ran down my spine, and I couldn't look away from him. His eyes made him look so old, even though he couldn't have been older than twelve or thirteen. I could almost see all of the memories and emotions he was hiding. Even though his eyes seemed tired, they also looked dangerous, and I felt threatened and alone.

Suddenly, I felt his hand on my arm and I heard him talking to me. I flinched and pulled back from his hand, my focus snapping away from his eyes. When I looked back up at him he was rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. He looked weary, as if he made people feel uncomfortable like this often and he was upset that it had happened again.

"Sorry..." I muttered.

Nico cocked his head slightly and cleared his throat, not looking at me. Looking at him, I relived the past night. My stomach felt like it had been emptied out and then vacuumed. Zane. They had him, didn't they? Not Nico. Nico saved my life, twice. He wouldn't do that... would he? I debated bringing up Zane, but I knew whatever the answer was, I didn't want to hear it. Not now. Instead, I asked, "Where am I?"

"Camp Half-Blood."

"Half-Blood? But-"

"I'll explain later," Nico cut me off before I could finish. "The important thing is that you're safe."

_Safe?_

"First..." Nico seemed to have realized something. "What's your name?"

I hadn't even thought about telling him my name. To be fair, though, we never really had an opportunity to talk. "Christina."

"Christina what?"

"Jones. My name is Christina Jones." I know it might not have been smart to give a stranger my name, but I didn't have anything to lose.

"Well Christina, why don't you go ahead and tell me happened last night?"

I shook my head. "You're asking me? I don't know what happened."

"You said you remembered a lot of things," Nico pointed out.

"I do remember. I just... don't understand any of it."

"We're going to help you understand. But what happened before I met you in that alley? What were you doing just strolling around in New York at night?"

A lump formed in my throat. "I was out. On my way home from a coffee shop," I made up. "And this... thing appeared and attacked me."

If Nico sensed my unease, he didn't show it. "Thing?" he repeated. "What 'thing'?"

"That monster. You... you were there, weren't you? You were the one who saved me from it?"

He seemed to take his time thinking about it. "I never saw the monster, not up close, anyway. We escaped before it came close enough for me to get a good look at it. It was probably just another Greek monster."

"Greek?"

"Yeah. Greek, ancient Greek, like the gods. You know, Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, etc., etc."

"But those things don't exist."

"Of course they do. You little mortals," he tapped my forehead. "are just blinded when it comes to unnatural things."

"Y-you believe in gods? Greek ones?"

"Yeah. Everyone here does."

I stared at him for a few moments, even risking a quick glanced at his eyes. There wasn't a single sign that showed he was kidding. "The... the_ gods_?"

"Mmhmm."

"You''ve... got to be joking."

"No," Nico shook his head. "I don't joke."

"Then you're... you're mental! And monsters? You believe in monsters, too?"

Nico raised his eyebrows at this. "Of course. Don't you?"

"I- Uh... No!"

He leaned in closer to me, his voice becoming more serious. I noticed a certain scent coming of him. It was sort of a cinnamon and peppermint smell, although I wasn't sure whether it was his breath or his actual scent.

"Christina, you _saw_ them last night. You were face to face with some of the ancient Greek monsters, and it's only the beginning."

"But I- they couldn't have been real-"

"What do you think they were, then?" I could hear in his voice that he was becoming defensive. His words began to sound slightly harsh and aggressive.

"A dream. They weren't real, it didn't happen. _Nothing last night happened._"

"It did-"

"It didn't! It's not real. It's not real!"

"Christina, be reasonable," Nico started but I wouldn't let him finish.

"Reasonable? Reasonable? You, a complete stranger who has me locked up in some camp, are trying to convince me that gods, and monsters, and... and... these things are real, and you tell _me_ to be reasonable?!"

His hand found my arm and held me tight. I realized I had gotten up into a sitting position, and I was leaning forward, nearly off the edge of the bed.

"Christina, please. If you'd just let me go get Chiron, he'll explain it to you. It's all real, though. You just have to-"

"You're lying," I whisper.

"Christina-"

"You're lying!"

Deciding I wasn't going to cooperate no matter what he said, Nico sat back in the chair and sighed. New tears sprang to my eyes, and I tried to rub them away without him seeing. He glanced in my direction and a new look appeared in his eyes. Whether it was suspicion or curiosity or realization, I couldn't tell.

"C-Christina? Was there... was there someone else with you last night? Someone who... wasn't there after you were attacked?"

I didn't answer him. He continued to stare at me until I slowly shook my head. I knew he wasn't convinced.

"Are you sure? There was no one else?"

Suddenly, I felt like I was going to throw up.

"Christina!" He repeated. "Was there-"

I gritted my teeth, forcing the lie out. "No."


End file.
